Activities for Bonding with Clients and Prospects

I am constantly looking for things to do with business contacts that will bring us closer together. Here is my current list of activities that have been successful.

• Lunch at a nice restaurant
• Dinner (with spouses included)
• Golf
• Sporting event (with spouses included)
• Theater (with spouses included)
• Fishing
• Paintball (with family included)
• Miniature golf (with spouses included)
• Skiing (with family included)
• Museum opening (with spouses included)
• Day at the beach (with family included)
• Hiking or cycling (with spouses included)

The list could be so much longer but what I'd like you to see is that "spouses and/or family included" is a HUGE part of creating lasting relationships. If you recognize the importance of family connections you will have make a tremendous leap in your career.

People bond to individuals that care about what matters, to them. Family is always the most of it. Be inclusive and you will gain in business and in life.

I Like Being Lawyer but I Am Uncomfortable at Trying to Be Liked

The perfect situation for any attorney or accountant is: "I am really good at what I do. People will hear about me and line up at my door." Wouldn't it be so wonderful if "being good" was all we needed to do. But it's not.

Even worse, we have to do all of this outreach stuff and networking and entertaining and OH MY GOODNESS! I JUST WANT TO DO WHAT I DO!!!

Look, no sane human being starts a critical long term relationship with just anyone. And, no one ever promised that being your own rainmaker was a slam-dunk. In fact you might already know that being a rainmaker takes so much more than you are comfortable to be.

Here are a few thoughts that might help you cross over the chasm from uncomfortable to kind of, sort of, OK with reaching out.

• Never go networking without a friend in tow. Being part of a team is always strengthening.
• Only take client leads from trusted friends. There is no reason for a professional services provider to make cold calls.
• Bring your closest networking friends into your private life. The chemistry of business connections translates easily into your private world. The dividends will be huge for both of you.
• Host the sort of activities that you like being a part of.... Do you like being invited to play golf? Do you like a poker night every so often? Do you love the theater? Spend your business development dollars on the type of activities you love and you will attract clients that match whom you are.
• Make one call a day not related to current client activities. Reach out and reconnect with someone you like to talk to and discuss "how things are going". Not every call will produce immediate results but every call will be appreciated.

We do not ever achieve most of out goals without engaging another person. It may be a spouse, a coworker, a mentor -- just someone that believes in what we want for ourselves. If you believe you are good at what you do there is always help out there to take you where you want to go.

Do You Really Know What Executives Think About Your Firm?

Today I had a most revealing conversation with a incredibly bright and successful CEO of a multi-million dollar manufacturer. She uses the services of one of my law firm clients.

In the conversation she volunteered a brief description of what she perceives will happen when she asks a traditional law firm for help. "I send a one page document to a lawyer for comments and advise. He clocks some time on the document, then sends it to another lawyer at the firm who clocks some more time. Then it is sent to another lawyer and maybe even one more." She continued, "It is just ONE PAGE! I think they are just piling on to get some billings."

Remember, this executive is a very bright and capable leader of a large corporation. She fully understands that lawyers have specialties and getting the right opinion makes all the difference in receiving sound counsel.

But, if she feels she received no value from having multiple lawyers weigh in on her issue what does that say about the firm serving her. Her experience is very similar to what I have heard from a lot of company leaders. When considering whether to get a lawyer involved their first thought is about the expense, not the value of service.

Being a good marketer means that you both promote your firm through traditional marketing methodologies and, you are an evangelist of quality client experiences. If you do not know what that means for your clients be fearless and get out there and ask.

It is amazing to me how many firms do not know their client service practices are broken. Is yours?

Your Marketing Stuff has to be True to You

I was having a conversation with a new client -- we are designing a new business card, letterhead and website together. In the conversation she asked an important question, "Shouldn't my stuff (the communications package) reflect what my potential clients want to see?" My answer was directly to the point, "NO!"

"Your package needs to reflect EXACTLY whom you are."

This is important. In order to develop and sustain a successful practice you need clients that are attracted to you -- not to a facade you think you need to present. Remember, the best relationships are based on truth.

Whenever you are creating a communications package for a firm or individual do your best to present the truth about either, the clients you attract will always be a much better match than those drawn through hype.

Flash and Bling on Your Website

Consider this Internet experience -- you surf to a URL and are greeted with a blank flash box and a "loading" message while some server in a distant land is pushing a Hollywood production toward your computer screen. Then suddenly all this stuff starts popping and flashing inside the box. Menu buttons appear, Pow -- pow, pow, pow! Pictures start floating, bling! Pow, pow, bling, pow! Color, action, camera! When it's over I am left with a Star War's dashboard and my head is reeling from the light show.

What a waste of my time!

A moonlighting web developer has put together a demo website for one of my new clients, the demo is like I just described. Besides being so totally not search engine friendly I have to wonder if they (my client) are actually professional services professionals (at least according to what their future website might imply).

Look, lets keep this simple. Your potential and existing clients are looking for the same Internet experience you seek -- feed me the information I am looking for as quickly as possible. If I want to be wowed I'll watch a movie.

Be wary of developers that are having too much fun with whistles and bells. While they flex their expertise your audience is losing sight of yours.

Nice Guys (and Gals) Finish First

Here is a great story about a Harvard study that prompted one researcher to conclude, "In general, the thing that is most, sort of, rational and best for your own self-interest is to be nice." The first time I heard about the study was this evening as I was listening to NPR (link to interview).

This study hints at so many misperceptions about how to succeed in business and in life. I encourage you to listen to the interview and consider how you interact with your fellow professionals and clients.

Tips for Writing with Passion

Many of us have a hard time putting words to paper (or computer) that read with the same passion we feel for the subject. Even worse, we often produce dry and boring papers when offering technical and professional advise. We sigh, resigned to doing the best we can and trudge through the task of writing, or we get so caught up in espousing fact that we forget there is a potential reader that will have to slog through what we produce.

Here are a few things I do when I want to communicate the passion I have for a topic:

• I take control of my writing environment. I can close my door, lower the lighting, move to a new room or conference space, take my laptop outdoors or to the nearest Panera Bread cafe couch. What is important is that I can relax and be comfortable.
• I listen to music while I write. For every topic, every passion, there is a mood. I select music to match the mood of what I want to communicate and plug in. Sometimes the music is strong and powerful, or it can be somber and lonely... Hearing the mood of your passion will draw out a better story.
• I outline my topic with story titles, not topic areas. If I begin my thinking with story ideas the result is so much more compelling to my readers.
• I try to use little words. A test that has always produced excellent results is to offer what I've written to a high school aged person. If they don't get the gist of what I am offering I have certainly missed the mark.
• I write first and edit later. Being trapped in edit mode while still trying to get words to paper is death to a good story. Just let it flow! Be a writer first -- then later be the editor.

Writing anything well takes time and practice. I encourage you to spend time practicing at communicating, in writing, the very passion you feel for what you do.